Chapter 32: Tears

They spent the remainder of their break together, seldom leaving one another's side. They talked about the most useless things, but both of them loved it. Even bickering was...enjoyable. Only Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger could rival each other in a verbal spar.

Every night, they'd come back to the Room of Requirement, and fall asleep in each other's arms. It had become a routine.

"What the fuck! She isn't actually going to accept, is she?"

"I don't know, Draco. You'll have to wait and see."

"You're fucking kidding me. You have got to be fucking kidding me. After all that, she still marries him?"

"You have to read on to understand. Pride and Prejudice is one of the most well known muggle romance novels ever."

"It's well written, I have to give you that. But Elizabeth is naive as fuck. Darcy is a righteous arsehole—"

"Doesn't that sound like someone we know..."

Raising an eyebrow at her, he turned the page, letting her have her little victory. She smiled, as she melted further into his warmth, reading with him in the moonlight, on the Astronomy Tower. It was New Year's Eve, and they had just a few days left, before their lives resumed once more.

I'm just a few days, everyone, and everything would return, breaking apart the routine they had become so accustomed to. Both of them were determined to make the most of it.

Suddenly, with a boom that startled both of them, a jolt of red light sprung up into the air.

"The fireworks."

They stayed in their spots, as they watched the dazzling show of lights in front of them. Different colours, bursting into the sky, and then drifting down like snowflakes played before their eyes, in front of the beautiful mountainous backdrop, so pretty it looked like a picture.

"Flitwick did a fantastic job, didn't he?"

"Mmmm." Draco hummed.

With a sudden realization, Hermione frantically turned around, facing Draco.

"What's the time?"

"It's 11:59 exactly."

Without wasting one more second, Hermione grasped Draco's face in her palms, and kissed him, right in that moment.

He had been thrown off at first, but he responded right away. Both made bold nips and sucks, yet kept the kiss slow. Hermione ran her fingers through his feathery hair, while he rested his on her waist. When she finally pulled away, they were both left slightly breathless, resting their foreheads against one another's.

"What was that for?" asked Draco, arching an eyebrow.

"Oh...just something muggles do on New Year's Eve."

"Why so?"

"Um…"

It's to show that I care.

It's to show that you mean something to me.

It's to show that…

"Nothing. It's just something muggles do."

"Alright then." he responded, quirking an eyebrow.

In the midst of the fireworks, and in the midst of their kiss, for some reason, Hermione's stomach lurched. It was fun to pretend that they were the only two people that existed, but the break was almost over. This was almost over. She could sense it...a war was coming.

Everyone remained happy, and by looking at the faces of the children in the halls, you could never realize that anything was happening. But with just a single look at the teachers, she could tell.

She could see the dread on their faces. She could see their constant fear. Voldemort would soon infiltrate the ministry...perhaps he already had.

Everything would only go downhill from there. It was only a matter of time.

All of this caused her to realize why she was with Draco then. How they came to be. Why they slept together, why they danced together, why he held her in his arms. She remembered her motives behind everything.

Somehow, she had completely forgotten about the mission she had set herself upon, and found herself becoming more and more deeply involved with Draco.

Draco was on a mission. She remembered about what happened at Hogsmeade, and how scared he had been. She remembered how she had found him in the girls bathroom, simply...broken.

The truth of the matter was...Draco and Hermione were on two different sides of a raging battle.

It caused her to feel a sharp pang in her chest, as she looked up at her companion.

He had changed so much over the past few months...she knew he didn't look at muggles with the same loathing and hatred he once did. She knew he didn't hate her kind. He had slowly detached himself from the pureblood ideologies he had grown up with, which brought him to that day, reading a muggle romance novel with perhaps one of the most well known muggle born witches in the wizarding community at the moment.

Draco was a changed man. Whether he accepted it, or not.

He simply wasn't the same. This was a Draco that was completely different from who the world saw him as. She knew her friends had nothing but pure hatred for him, but they didn't see the man she saw. They didn't know the Draco she knew.

She needed to ask him. She needed him to tell her. They couldn't continue on pretending like nothing else was happening in the world. Draco's life was evidently in danger.

"Draco…"

"Yeah?"

"I know this is hard for you, and you might not be ready...but I know that Voldemort sent you here to do something. I know you have a task. I know neither you, nor your family are safe. I just need you to...tell me. Tell me about it, Draco, I can help. I promise you, everything will be okay, I need you to...tell me."

She caught him off guard, and he didn't know what to say. Fuck, one part of him wanted to tell her…

"You don't have to right now. But...you need to soon. So that I can help you, Draco. I don't want you to get hurt."

Sighing, he nodded. He wasn't sure what to do anymore, or what to say. For now, he just wanted to ride on his wave of ecstasy for as long as he could, before everything was over.


"Hermione! Did you get the ring I sent you?"

"Yes Ginny, I received your ring. It's beautiful, I love it."

"That's wonderful!"

Before she could say anything else, she was thrown off balance from a hug from her boys, Harry and Ron, who greeted her with the widest smiles possible.

"How was your holiday?" asked Ron, pulling out of the hug.

"It was great, Ron. Although I surely did miss the two of you." she added.

"We missed you as well." Harry chimed in. "Did you get my present?"

"Oh yes. Yes I did."

Sharing a private exchange of smirks, they carried on, walking to the end of the common room. Glancing at them, Ron quirked up an eyebrow, but dismissed it as soon as Seamus ran up to him with the latest quidditch magazine. Ginny, giving Harry a quick kiss, ran off to go see Luna, leaving Hermione alone with Harry.

"So, Hermione. How was your break?"

"It was good."

"Just good?"

"Why are you giving me that look?"

"I spoke to Justin earlier today—"

"Oh God, Harry you didn't—"

"Don't worry, I wasn't explicit about anything...just implied a lot of things. He was quite out of it, that's odd, he's a Ravenclaw…"

"Harry."

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." he winked.

Rolling her eyes, she took a seat on the chair, getting herself comfortable.

"Does he treat you well?"

"What?"

"Does he treat you well, Hermione?"

"He treats me with more care than my father."

"Well...if that's the case," he started, with a sigh, "he must be a decent bloke."


"Blimey..."

"What happened?"

"Take a look at it yourself." Ron said, passing the newspaper over to his friend.

Two More Muggles, Dead. Killed In Their Homes, Minister Yet to Speak.

Goosebumps formed throughout the length of Hermione's arms, as soon as she read the headline. Her eyes finally moving downward, she began to read the article.

Marie and Scott Finch-Fletchley, two muggles previously residing in London, were killed on New Year's Day. Officials say the official cause of death is the killing curse, but torture marks have also been found on the victims' bodies. A dark mark was also left right above the Finch-Fletchleys' home. The couple leave behind a son, a muggle born wizard, currently in his sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The exact time of the deaths is…

Justin's parents had been killed.

Gone, just like that.

She scanned the Great Hall for his familiar smiling face, but she couldn't find it.

She couldn't even begin to comprehend what he was going through.

In that moment, Hermione realized that...this could have been her. It could have been her parents. She could have been the one grieving. Her parents were at high risk...she was known to be close to Harry, after all.

Draco had warned her about this.

"Hermione…"

She looked over to find Harry's comforting arm over her shoulder. He knew exactly what was on her mind right then.

"Harry...my mum and dad…"

"They'll be okay, Hermione."

She felt tears build up in her eyes, reading over the passage once more.

"It could have been them, Harry. It could have been them…"

"Well...what do you think you should do now?" questioned Ron, leaning in.

"I...I've been thinking of something for a while now. I didn't want to...I didn't think…"

"Hermione what is it?"

"I'm going to wipe their memories."


He saw her sitting at Gryffindor table, with her friends. The break was over, and everyone had finally flooded back into their lives. This was what was supposed to feel normal.

Supposed to.

But after spending more than two weeks waking up, and eating breakfast in just her company, everything felt odd. Sitting there on the bench, with Blaise beside him. It should have been him and Granger, sitting by their fireplace…

Looking back up, he saw Potter place his arm around her shoulder. It should have angered him...but since it was Potter, it was okay.

He trusted her.

She was his, and only his. She made sure he knew that. Even though he didn't know what his really meant.

Potter and Granger were like siblings. Their relationship truly was...pure. Weasley, however, had ill intentions.

Taking a proper look, he realized that she was...crying.

She was trying to hold them in, but one fell, gliding down her cheek ever so gracefully. She was holding a paper in her hands, and clutched onto Potter, who was whispering something to her.

Why was she crying?

Had someone hurt her?

He needed to find out.

Pushing away the remainder of his breakfast, he set his mind on seeking her out after everyone cleared out, trying to find her alone.


"Are you sure you can go alone, Hermione? At least one of us should come with you—"

"No, Ronald. I can manage myself."

"Are you absolutely sure?" asked Harry.

"...yes."

Stiffly nodding to them, she began her walk to Professor McGonagall's office, leaving her friends behind. Her pace rapidly quickened, as she soon broke out into a run.

Time was precious.

Just as she was turning the corner, she heard a voice call her from behind, and grab her wrist.

"Granger!"

She turned around, knowing immediately who it was, from their touch.

"Draco."

"What happened? Where are you going?"

"Draco I...I need to go right now."

"What do you mean? I saw you crying at breakfast, now you're running through the halls—"

"Draco please." she begged, her emotions bare.

Tears trickled down her cheeks as she began to sob, losing energy. Draco's hands remained on her elbows, steadying her, while her hands went up to his chest.

"Please...I need to go now. I have to go now. Please."

Her raw desperation broke him, as his hold on her slackened. She immediately backed away, and after glancing at him one more time, ran in the opposite direction, rushing through the halls to get to her destination.

Whatever was bothering Granger, was bothering Draco as well.

He couldn't stand seeing her like that.


"Miss Granger, I couldn't possibly allow you to—"

"But you have to."

"Hermione—"

"They're my parents! Did you see what happened to the Finch-Fletchleys? I apologize for speaking to you this way, Professor, but this is my mum and dad!"

"This is crazy—"

"But it's the only way. You know they're next. They know I'm close to Harry. They'll use my parents as a way to hurt Harry. You know it."

"I cannot allow a sixteen year old witch to perform a memory charm on her parents in the middle of the school year!"

"Everything is in front of us. We have everything we need. Why not take the precautions necessary to keep them safe? I am more than capable of performing the charm."

The elder witch sighed, and took off her spectacles, before messaging the bridge of her nose. She thought to herself for a few moments, analyzing the situation in front of her, occasionally glancing at the restless witch seated in front of her. She knew she was fully capable of producing a memory charm needed for such a task...but how could she allow her student to take such a step?

"Okay, listen to me, Miss Granger. Give me some time to think about it. I'll let you know, I promise. I'll call the Ministry right now to appoint a few guards outside of your parents' home, until then. Is that okay?"

"...okay. I just need them to be safe…"

With a nod to the Headmistress, she rose from her seat, getting up to leave. Just as she was standing at the door frame, her Professor spoke from behind.

"Don't worry, Hermione. Your parents will be absolutely fine. Stay strong. You are the strongest young witch that I have seen walking through these halls. All will be okay, just make sure you pull through the storm."

Before exiting, she left the elderly witch with a few words.

"Even the strongest trees fall during the mightiest storms, Professor."


Finally finishing her letter, she flattened out the parchment one last time, before releasing it to herself in her head.

Dear Mum and Dad,

I know I wasn't able to come home. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I knew it was supposed to be just the three of us this year, but I couldn't make it. I hope the two of you still found a way to have fun.

I'm going to get straight to the point here. You know about Voldemort's return to the wizarding world, and you know about his power. I told you about how much he and his kind hate muggles and muggle borns. Yesterday, a muggle born friend of mine's parents were murdered. Please, be careful. Don't leave the house unless you absolutely need to. Please stay safe. Some ministry guards should be positioned outside the house tonight, so that they can protect you.

I love you both. More than anything on this planet. I'm so sorry for anything I've done to hurt you, and I'm so sorry for not being there for you all the time. I'm sorry. I love you, Mum. I love you, Dad. The north of you mean the world to me. Just please stay safe.

I love you,

Hermione

A tear threatened to spill out of her eye, as she gently folded the parchment, and put it inside an envelope.

Something had to be done about her parents. Soon.


He hadn't found her the entire day. He was...worried. It almost made him tempted to go ask a Gryffindor if they had seen her. Dinner had just concluded, as all the students flooded back to their common rooms and dormitories. Finally, finding a patch of red hair, he quietly moved close to where they Weasley was standing, within earshot, but remaining hidden.

"How is she?"

"She's okay. Hermione's in her dormitory right now. Ginny just told me."

"Do you think we should go talk to her?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, let's go then."

Somehow, just hearing that she was okay lifted a huge weight off his shoulders. He still knew something was bothering her, and he needed to find out what made her cry, but in that moment, he was satisfied with knowing that she was safe.

He hoped Potter and Weasley would be able to take care of her.


a/n: that's chapter 32 for you! I know I promised a chapter before New Years, but I decided to spend the remainder of my break with family. Hence the slightly late update. Talking about New Years, HAPPY NEW YEAR! If you're here, and if you're reading this, congratulations! You survived 2020. Keep pushing guys, we can make it through!

I know I said I wouldn't be writing anything before I finished this, but over the break, I got an idea for a one shot, and I couldn't help but write it. Just a short one shot, but the concept of the story was just too beautiful to ignore. So, if anyone here is interested, check out my one shot, Forever Yours. It's up on AO3 and FFN under my profile!

Thank you to everyone that's been here through this journey! Many more chapters to come. It only gets more exciting from here!

And once again, please please pleaseeeeee review. I love them. They're the best. Consider a review as a Christmas present. Keep the presents coming guys!

Love you guys,

Sydney